St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-10-01

and Turks made frequent raids, pi1laging
in every direction. So poor were the
people of Malta short time prior to
1880 that the Spanish governor could
only collect forty ducats as revenue from
the taxpayers.
The corn they needed had to be obtained
from Sicily, and in return the Maltese
would trade the productions of the
island, which consisted principally OF
figs, melons, grapes, oranges, honey,
cinnamon and some cotton.
One of the first works undertaken by
the knights was the strengthening of
Notifications. The natives very nat
urally approved of this, as it tended to
make them more secure. New laws
were made and number of depart
ments were organized for the carrying
on of public business. Natives of the
higher ranks were allowed to join the
association of the knights as Clericals.
could do so, but without the distinction
of knighthood.
L'Isle Adam died when he was sixty
five years of age and was succeeded by
series of grand masters who, in their
turn, ruled until the appearance of the
first Napoleon. Some of these dignita-
ries did nothing worthy Of record dur
! ing their term of office. Their reign or
rule was simply one of Incidence or in
! activity. Some, again, did more mischief
than good while holding the reins of
power A few worked hard to promote
! the interests of the order and to advance
| the condition of the natives and make
! their possessions more secure against
the designs of foreign enemies.
This latter class of rulers by degrees
| brought about the erection of the mag
niticent Notifications which now make
Malta one Of the most formidable mill
tary strongholds in the world. CaramO-
| lin, who was chief engineer to the En-
peror Charles V, planned many of the
works now in existence and which in
closed the city of Nalletta within a strong
unbroken line of ramparts, bristling with
| heavy guns.
Under Grand Master John de la Val
lette, Malta was nobly and successfully
| defended against the fierce and pro-
| longed series of attacks made by the
| Turks in 1865. If the body over which
| he ruled had never done anything before
| to merit lasting recognition of courage
and pertinacity, the manner in which the
Sultan's land and sea forces were resisted
| gives them prominence in the worlds
! history that can never fade
From May IS to September 7 in that
year Malta was in a state of siege.
Sometimes the enemy's troops would
seem to reach the heights of victory, but
were at last compelled to acknowledge
that the island they had come to con-
quer, with innumerable ships and legions
of raPacious and bloodthirsty soldiers,
was, under the rule of the knights, as
! IL IL, ~ C
Shortly after the Turks had been re-
| PEELED it came to the ears Of the grand
master that Solyman the Magnificent
was preparing another fleet and another
army in order to attain his object. La
Vallette waited until nearly all arrange
ments had been completed and then sent
agents to Constantinople to destroy by
fire the ships and arsenals at that port
They carried out the work secretly, but
completely, and by that means saved
| Malta from a second attack, which might
have been more successful than the first.
Then came the building of the new
city, with solemn and appropriate cere-
monies at the laying of the first stone.
This was in 1866, and the city was ready
for occupation five years afterWard. On
March Is, 1911, the knights entered
the new city of Valletta and continued
to occupy it for more than 200 years.
During that time they were constantly
engaged in struggles against the ecclesi-
astics. Not only were their minds dis
tracted by internal quarrels and dissent,
but by the frequent rumOrS of intended
invasions, which usually came from the
neighborhood of the Levant.
In 1876, 1000 persons died from
plague; about 1863 several emissaries
came from the Russian court to suggest to
the Maltese that they should get rid of the
order of St. John, but as they did not
belong to the prevailing form of faith,
their mission failed. In the interval be-
tween the occupation of the new city
and this action on the part of Russia, the
power and influence of the knights were
slowly but surely decaying.
In 1889 the French National Assembly
in decree abolishing federal rights and
aristocratic privileges struck a heavy
blow at the knighthood by taking from
them certain tithes received from French
possessions. This was followed by an
order of complete confscation. Rohan
was grand master when that happened,
and his successor, by incompetency
brought about the determination of the
order as political force.
The year 1897 found only 400 knights in
Malta. Napoleon, who had confiscated
the land belonging to the order in Italy
suggested that the island be occupied by
French troops, and Oh the 10th OF June,
1898, this was done, and the once
renowned body of the Knighthood of St.
John faded out of existence.
T. CAMPBELL COPELAND.
THE CONSTITUTIONS CENTENNIAL